Mariya Spencer is about be able to help people like her. She was born with a congenital defect that left her a bilateral amputee. She's now graduating from Tyler Junior College as a Physical Therapist Assistant at 24 years old.

As soon as she caught wind of the news that Tyler Junior College offered the program, she knew it was the right place for her. She had previously considered going to nursing school.

She knows what it is like to be the patient and is able to better explain what the patient side of things is like, how they feel and exactly what they are going through.

She received new prosthetics that allowed her to lift in school. Her old ones were causing horrible pain. Mariya also had to adjust some of her movements in order to create a safer environment for her patients and herself. The director of the program, Christine Melius, said that Mariya doesn't take the easy route. She will figure out how to make it work.

Melius says that Mariya says she could definitely add to the profession of physical therapy. She said she often sees people who go into the field because they needed physical therapy at one point or another. She knows that Mariya will bring hope to some parents of kids who need it.

After Mariya Spencer walks across the stage at graduation along with the rest of her graduating class of 20 people, she will work at East Texas Children's Therapy. She hopes to make a difference in her field.

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